Porn theater colleagues mourn slain employee

Jim Herron Zamora, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, June 16, 1999

1999-06-16 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Friends and colleagues are mourning last weekend's gruesome death of the beloved assistant manager of the Nob Hill Adult Theatre, who was found stabbed to death in his home.

Todd Wayne Peterson worked at the theater, which caters to gay males, for about a dozen years and gave the place its upscale flavor, said manager Forest Hunter.

"Todd has been a linchpin in our ability to make things happen here," Hunter said. "He is someone we miss dearly as a friend. We're all kind of a mess over here now."

Police discovered Peterson's body in his apartment at 845 Hyde St. at about 4 a.m. Saturday after a neighbor called 911 to report a disturbance there.

"Based on Adkinson's statements and evidence we have developed, we have arrested him (on suspicion of murder)," Robinson said.

But the lieutenant would not discuss a possible motive for the killing or reveal any details about the investigation. He said Peterson and Adkinson had either met earlier that evening, or, at most, a day or so before. He would not discuss Adkinson's statement to inspectors, other than to say, "He's given us many stories. . . . We feel he is responsible for this death."

Adkinson was being held without bail at San Francisco County Jail.

Friends and colleagues of Peterson's said they knew little about him, describing him as a complex man who had a wide social circle, but he saved his deepest emotions for a few close friends.

"If he was on your side, his commitment was total," Hunter said. "He wasn't just a friend for life. He would stay your friend afterward. He would memorialize you forever."

Peterson was born in Elmira, N.Y., and grew up in upstate New York. San Francisco authorities listed his age as 50, but people close to him said he was 52. Friends said he had settled on the West Coast after serving in the armed forces during the Vietnam War.

"The war left a strong impression on him," said Julie Immer, who referred to herself as Peterson's common-law wife, although the two did not live together. "He really loved the land of Vietnam. The war there bothered him."

Peterson worked at Enrico's restaurant in North Beach during its '60s heyday, according to his friends. Later, he worked as a hair stylist and makeup artist at various venues.

In 1987, he began working at Nob Hill Adult Theatre, where his responsibilities included booking performers and taking them to San Francisco restaurants, nightclubs or gyms.

"He had natural charm with our clients, and he really knew how to take care of our performers," said Hunter, who took over the theater five years ago. "He was a good right-hand of mine. He was the person who really had a handle on running this place."

Hunter and Immer said Peterson was at ease in both the heterosexual world and gay culture.

"He defied labels about gay or straight," Immer said.

"He was just Todd, a man who loved others."

Widely known for his sense of humor and gregarious manner, inside Peterson "was a really complex individual with very strong emotions," Immer said.

"People know the sarcastic person on the outside who would crack one-liners," Immer said. "Inside he was a man who would cry for the death of his cat. . . . He was a lot of things to different people." &lt;